Posts by Andy Bratton
A better Story
I attended a conference for preachers a month or so ago and one of the speakers shared a message from John 11 that really affected how I think about a sermon, but more importantly about how I think about the lessons learned from the raising of Lazarus. I shared these thoughts with a group of our leaders before a strategy session a few weeks ago. In John chapter 11 we read about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus How COVID has affected us
Beauty in the Ashes
I went to the hospital to see someone today. As I was going into the elevator, a guy was facing me that had a cross drawn on his forehead. The cross was drawn using ash. It then, of course, dawned on me that today was Ash Wednesday. As I understand it, in the eighth century the practice of Ash Wednesday started and two centuries later the addition of the cross drawn with ashes was added.Ash Wednesday starts a time of How COVID has affected us
Going Broke (and I’m not talking about money)
Psalm 51 was written by David after the prophet Nathan confronted him about what he did to Uriah and Bathsheba. It is a song of repentance. In verses 16 and 17 he wrote, “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” If you track scripture you will see that David’s statements How COVID has affected us
What’s NEXT (New EXciting Time)
What’s NEXT (New EXciting Time)Another year is almost in the books. How has 2022 been for you? If you did an assessment of the year, would you label it, “Exceeded Expectations,” “Met Expectations,” “Neither Exceeded nor Met Expectations,” “Did not Exceed Expectations,” “Didn’t even come close to Exceeding or Meeting Expectations,” or “I didn’t have any expectations”?And what topics or headings would you use to decide how the year was? Would you look at your financial situation now compared to How COVID has affected us
Of Candy and Toothaches
Every Halloween I have to stop and ask myself whether we should, as a church, be promoting, encouraging, and participating in this holiday. Let’s face it, when you think about Halloween the mind quickly goes to scary, witches, ghosts, and goblins. I know it’s fun and there are many other costumes that have nothing to do with scary themes. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all How COVID has affected us
They’re Baaaaack
Yes, the students are back in school. The teachers and admin folks are back in school (and that group has probably been back for a couple of weeks). And, yes, our discipleship programs are back and getting ready to kick off (have you signed up yet?). So, let’s look at a comeback story in the Bible. In the book of Exodus, chapter 2, we read that Moses was born, his mother hid him in a basket by the Nile river, How COVID has affected us
Take a Second and Smile
Summer is almost over, school is getting ready to start, gas prices are high, grocery store prices are skyrocketing, and the housing marketing they say is cooling but try finding a place to buy or rent around here, we haven’t had enough rain, monkeypox is on the move, Covid is here and then gone and then here and then gone, summer colds are kicking us around, and what is up with my golf game? I can’t buy a birdie or How COVID has affected us
Confusion Illusion
As I write this, a group of 30 or so youth are heading to Cincinnati to visit the Ark and the Creation Museum. My initial prayer was that each of the youth attending (and adults) would have an appreciation for who God is and an even more firm belief that He created everything. There is a lot of confusion in our world about who God is, and whether one being created everything. Not all schools are able to even teach the idea How COVID has affected us
A Real Page Turner
It is that time of year once again. Later this month our high school seniors will be walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas and heading off into the world. Some will go to work, some will go to college, some will go to the military, and some will go to trade school. Some, I hope not many or any will choose to do nothing. Next chapters are exciting. Sometimes next chapters are stressful and we get a little anxious about the unknown. However, How COVID has affected us
Blessing of the Trout Festival
Tonight, as in the past couple of years, I will be offering a prayer of blessing on the Trout Festival. I don’t exactly know what I am supposed to be blessing and maybe I should have asked, but what should I be praying over our community for these few festive days? Or, more broadly, what would or should my prayer and your prayer be for this community God has placed us in? Our prayers ought to always include that those who don’t How COVID has affected us